Rodeo Kayaking

Rodeo Kayaking

Publication Date: July 2000

Rodeo kayaksthey're not just for champions any more! Cruising rivers today one cannot help but notice the abundance of specially designed rodeo boats on the water paddled by recreational boaters. Just a few short years ago people were considered mad and "on the fringe" to be paddling such low volume stunt boats. Most kayakers felt these boats were best left to those acrobatic crazies who made up the competitive freestyle force. But today many boaters are using these hot new boats to add fun and spark to their paddling that regular, higher volume, cruising kayaks do not provide. Rodeo sport is no longer reserved for the highly tuned competitive rodeo athlete. It's for any intermediate to advanced boater who wants to add vitality to their play boating repertoireto make the backyard river run more exciting - an acrobatic playground.

What makes a kayak a rodeo kayak? The new boats make stunts and high performance paddling easier. The design has been described as a beach-ball with pointy ends. All the leading kayak manufacturers have produced models that are great for hole riding and freestyle moves. High volume cockpit areas give increased buoyancy in a hole, while the pointy ends are radical and thin, allowing them to move through nearly every plane imaginable while the boat remains in the hole. Larger volume boats tend to plunge in deep when going for enders and are often pushed downstream out of the hole. Probably the most appealing aspect for the recreation boater is the way in which the smaller boats turn small river features - often micro-features - into dynamic and exciting places to play. Larger volume boats have fewer options in these areas. The hoopla over boat design kicked into high gear during the 1993 World Championship Rodeo held at the Ocoee River in East Tennessee. Designs literally sprang up overnight as R&D teams tried to get the winning edge.

Rodeo competition got its start in what were called "Hot Dog" contests in the mid 70's and through the late 80s. The moves were relatively simple and consisted of enders and pirouettes, and perhaps even the occasional hand-surfing stunt in a hydraulic hole. Simple moves and ingenuity won these early competitions. Often incorporating pyrotechnics to please the crowds, hot doggers would time small explosions while doing an ender!

Today, with advances in boat design and paddling techniques, there are fewer limitations on the paddler thus allowing for more sophisticated gymnastic stunts and less reliance on showmanship. These stunts are usually done in a hydraulic hole, a common whitewater feature. Cartwheels, Split Wheels, Whippets and McTwists have become the most common moves performed in modern rodeo competitions. A competitor has two minutes to complete as many moves as possible. Each move is rated on a difficulty level and given a point designation. The paddler with the most points wins.

The evolution of the sport has been exciting to watch. It is an incredible brand new sport where the rules are constantly changing and the development of the athletes has been rapid. The top athletes are redefining the sport and writing the history books as they design boats and create moves. These moves have leaked out of the competition scene and are to be found on rivers everywhere being perfected not by top rodeo athletes but by mainstream, everyday paddlers. Most paddlers buying these hot new boats have no intention of ever entering a rodeo competition but aim instead to challenge themselves with the moves the big boys and girls are doing.

Some paddlers just like being in the hot new designs and want to add another boat to the fleet they currently own. These boats have their limitations as well as their strengths. Hull speed is a lacking element in these designs, which does not make them ideal for high volume, fast rivers like the Grand Canyon. Creek boating is not highly recommended in these boats either. Paddlers can make adjustments to their technique and use these boats in other river settings, but they were designed for destination paddling, where the goal of a paddler is to go to one or two rapids in a day and specifically work on stunts. As a result, many rivers have become to river runners the equivalent of what a climbing gym is to mountaineers - a place to work on the difficult, individual moves.

There have been a number of innovations to aid paddlers in learning these skills at a faster rate. Videos like Just Add Water and Retendo have simplified and de-mystified these complex moves and put together learning progressions designed to help paddlers learn these stunts. Guidebooks are changing their focus to concentrate solely on helping paddlers find the best locations for specific skill training. Leading the way is A Playboater's Guide to the Ocoee River by WMC Publishing. Kayak schools like the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) have heard the cry for this kind of instruction and have customized their whitewater instruction to offer courses in whitewater rodeo.

Look around on the river and you are bound to see that nearly 50% of the boats are newer, smaller rodeo boats. The trend has been set and the evolution of the sport is underway. If you are new to kayaking or would like to try one of these new designs, find a demo-day offered by your local retailers and hop in. You might find you like what you see and will discover why rodeo paddling is not just for champions anymore.

For more information on kayaking and whitewater rafting check out the Nantahala Outdoor Center website: http://www.noc.com